| The CROWN of CHRIST - Understanding the Times in the Light of Scripture |
| The CROWN of CHRIST - Understanding the Times in the Light of Scripture |
ARCHIVE - Aug 1, 2008
Truancy is not a Crime
Truancy is not a Crime
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Here is a copy of the letter we wrote to the superintendent of our local government school a
couple of years ago. They sent us a letter asking why our oldest child had not been reported to
them as a home school student - and threatening truancy proceedings.
Once they found out about the on-going RFPA cases, they told us they will wait to see how the
courts rule. They also have a new principal, and have not contacted us lately.
We believe as much as ever that we have no right to use our neighbor's taxes to educate our
children, that our neighbors have no right to criminalize non-attendance in their school, and that
illiteracy is preferable to an "education" without Jesus.
28 Nov 2006
Mr. Barry W. Clippinger, Ed.D.
Upper Dauphin Area School District
5668 State Route 209
Lykens, PA 17048-8414
Sir;
Only today we received your letter dated November 17th and
postmarked the 21st. This gives us only a few days to respond to your
very serious threat of prosecution. We claim exemption from the
Pennsylvania homeschool law.
Our claim is based on the Pennsylvania Religious Freedom Protection
Act, 77 P.S. 2401, et. Seq.
It is a genuine dictate of our religion that we educate our own
children. We believe that even natural philosophy makes it clear that
children are to be raised by their own parents. The civil government
did not conceive our children or give birth to them with pain. They are
simply our children, not the children of the state.
The Holy Bible teaches us that our children are God’s gift to us.
(Genesis 33:5, 48:8-9, Psalms 127 & 128, Isaiah 8:18, Hebrews 2:13)
The God of the Bible has warned us that we will answer to Him for the
entire manner in which our children are brought up, for He claims our
children as His own. (Job 10:8-12, Psalm 139:13-16, Isaiah 49:1,5,
Jeremiah 1:5, Ezekiel 16:20-21, Luke 1:41,44) We cannot in good
conscience ask for state permission to obey Jehovah’s command to
teach our children His Religion. (Psalm 78:1-11, Ephesians 6:4) The
Scriptures are quite specific in telling God’s people to instruct their
children in God’s law 24/7 – from waking up to lying down and on the
whole journey in between. (Deuteronomy 6:6-9) We intend for our
children, like the Evangelist Timothy, to share the Faith of their
parents. (2 Timothy 1:5)
The current PA law would impose a substantial burden on our free
exercise of religion, because it would require us to submit to the civil
government in educational matters, which are purely domestic in
nature. The right of a parent to raise his or her own children is God-
given, and therefore both natural and inalienable. Parenting is not a
privilege granted by the state. Jesus commands us to give Caesar what
belongs to Caesar. (Matthew 22:1) Thus your review of tax records will
have showed you that we pay all our taxes, since we participate in the
money economy. But our children do not belong to the government.
Pharaoh wanted the Israelite adult men go worship Jehovah ~ but
leave the children behind. Like Moses, we must answer that we will
keep our family entire. “We will go with our young and with our old,
with our sons and with our daughters…” (Exodus 10:9)
The Apostle Paul tells us to integrate all of our thoughts into a
Christian framework. (2 Corinthians 10:5) The compulsory government
schools do not teach with a Biblical world-view as their goal or
foundation. So your institution cannot be of use to us in training our
children, and we have no desire to entangle ourselves in your affairs.
We are as heathen to your humanistic, evolutionary, Freudian &
Deweyite beliefs, as they are heathen to us. “Thus saith the Lord, learn
not the way of heathen nations.” (Jeremiah 10:2)
We wish to be exceeding clear that we do not recognize your authority,
but we do recognize your power. This is an important distinction in
political philosophy, drawn from the theology of the Scottish
Covenanters. Authority is actual right; power is mere force of
strength. So we cannot formally request permission to obey God, since
no authority on earth has any right to command us thus. If forced to
choose, we must obey God rather then men. (Acts 5:29)
But we certainly understand that you are a power. We do not want to
go to court with anyone, but wish to live in peace with all men. So let
me share with you what I would share with any of my neighbors if they
made honest inquiry. Our children, including the one who is nine
years old, are all performing at or above “grade” level. They are taught
all the usual subjects, in English, i.e. arithmetic, reading, writing,
spelling, history, natural science, safety, music, art, etc.
Scott & Susan Rocca
couple of years ago. They sent us a letter asking why our oldest child had not been reported to
them as a home school student - and threatening truancy proceedings.
Once they found out about the on-going RFPA cases, they told us they will wait to see how the
courts rule. They also have a new principal, and have not contacted us lately.
We believe as much as ever that we have no right to use our neighbor's taxes to educate our
children, that our neighbors have no right to criminalize non-attendance in their school, and that
illiteracy is preferable to an "education" without Jesus.
28 Nov 2006
Mr. Barry W. Clippinger, Ed.D.
Upper Dauphin Area School District
5668 State Route 209
Lykens, PA 17048-8414
Sir;
Only today we received your letter dated November 17th and
postmarked the 21st. This gives us only a few days to respond to your
very serious threat of prosecution. We claim exemption from the
Pennsylvania homeschool law.
Our claim is based on the Pennsylvania Religious Freedom Protection
Act, 77 P.S. 2401, et. Seq.
It is a genuine dictate of our religion that we educate our own
children. We believe that even natural philosophy makes it clear that
children are to be raised by their own parents. The civil government
did not conceive our children or give birth to them with pain. They are
simply our children, not the children of the state.
The Holy Bible teaches us that our children are God’s gift to us.
(Genesis 33:5, 48:8-9, Psalms 127 & 128, Isaiah 8:18, Hebrews 2:13)
The God of the Bible has warned us that we will answer to Him for the
entire manner in which our children are brought up, for He claims our
children as His own. (Job 10:8-12, Psalm 139:13-16, Isaiah 49:1,5,
Jeremiah 1:5, Ezekiel 16:20-21, Luke 1:41,44) We cannot in good
conscience ask for state permission to obey Jehovah’s command to
teach our children His Religion. (Psalm 78:1-11, Ephesians 6:4) The
Scriptures are quite specific in telling God’s people to instruct their
children in God’s law 24/7 – from waking up to lying down and on the
whole journey in between. (Deuteronomy 6:6-9) We intend for our
children, like the Evangelist Timothy, to share the Faith of their
parents. (2 Timothy 1:5)
The current PA law would impose a substantial burden on our free
exercise of religion, because it would require us to submit to the civil
government in educational matters, which are purely domestic in
nature. The right of a parent to raise his or her own children is God-
given, and therefore both natural and inalienable. Parenting is not a
privilege granted by the state. Jesus commands us to give Caesar what
belongs to Caesar. (Matthew 22:1) Thus your review of tax records will
have showed you that we pay all our taxes, since we participate in the
money economy. But our children do not belong to the government.
Pharaoh wanted the Israelite adult men go worship Jehovah ~ but
leave the children behind. Like Moses, we must answer that we will
keep our family entire. “We will go with our young and with our old,
with our sons and with our daughters…” (Exodus 10:9)
The Apostle Paul tells us to integrate all of our thoughts into a
Christian framework. (2 Corinthians 10:5) The compulsory government
schools do not teach with a Biblical world-view as their goal or
foundation. So your institution cannot be of use to us in training our
children, and we have no desire to entangle ourselves in your affairs.
We are as heathen to your humanistic, evolutionary, Freudian &
Deweyite beliefs, as they are heathen to us. “Thus saith the Lord, learn
not the way of heathen nations.” (Jeremiah 10:2)
We wish to be exceeding clear that we do not recognize your authority,
but we do recognize your power. This is an important distinction in
political philosophy, drawn from the theology of the Scottish
Covenanters. Authority is actual right; power is mere force of
strength. So we cannot formally request permission to obey God, since
no authority on earth has any right to command us thus. If forced to
choose, we must obey God rather then men. (Acts 5:29)
But we certainly understand that you are a power. We do not want to
go to court with anyone, but wish to live in peace with all men. So let
me share with you what I would share with any of my neighbors if they
made honest inquiry. Our children, including the one who is nine
years old, are all performing at or above “grade” level. They are taught
all the usual subjects, in English, i.e. arithmetic, reading, writing,
spelling, history, natural science, safety, music, art, etc.
Scott & Susan Rocca
|
|
|
|
|
|
